At age four, Matthew was diagnosed with AML – a type of leukemia that is rarely found in young children. When his parents met with Dr. Andrew Gilman, Director of Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation at Levine Children’s Hospital, they knew they were in the right place. He reassured Matthew’s parents that he could treat their son’s disease, and that the best approach was a bone marrow transplant. Fortunately for Matthew, his 2-year-old brother, Alex, was a perfect match. Alex was already familiar with LCH, where he had spent his first three months of life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery, battling a life-threatening infection.
Today, Matthew shares an extra-special bond with his little brother. Their sibling-to-sibling transplant was successful and Matthew is now in remission. Alex’s resilience as a baby helped him survive, and in turn, he helped his own big brother survive. Today, they are both thriving!
Charitable contributions from donors and partners in our community make a tremendous difference in the lives of children, like Matthew:
Levine Children’s Hospital serves about 150 new cancer patients each year. The hospital’s Torrence E. Hemby Jr. Hematology and Oncology Center has one of the country’s highest survival rates for pediatric bone marrow transplants, 20 of which were conducted at Levine Children’s Hospital in 2014. The hospital’s Developmental Therapeutics Program (DVL) conducted more than 70 pediatric cancer clinical trials in the past year. The availability of clinical trials at Levine Children’s Hospital ensures that children in our community receive expert cancer care where they need the most – close to home.